U.S. Government Not Fully Supporting Freedom of Religion, Says Commission

clipped from beforeitsnews.com WASHINGTON, D.C.—U.S. foreign policy does not reflect the central importance of religious freedom, according to members of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF). “You cannot do statecraft without understanding the importance of religion,” said Dr. Don Argue, a Commissioner of USCIRF at an April 29 press conference. He noted the importance that former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright gave to religious freedom late in her tenure. “Neither prior Democratic and Republican administrations, nor the current administration, have been sufficiently engaged in promoting freedom of religion or belief abroad,” said the 373-page 2010 Annual Report, released at the news conference. The Obama administration was rebuked for allowing the position of ambassador-at-large on International Religious Freedom to go unfilled for over a year.

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Obama blasted, 13 nations cited on religious freedom

clipped from www.usatoday.com A bipartisan U.S. commission on religious freedom says President Obama is softening his stand on protecting the right to one's faith at a time when religious persecution is on the rise, according to an annual report to be released today. The 11th annual report by the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom says Obama's recent call for nations to respect "freedom of worship" rather than "religious freedom" allows regimes to claim they are not oppressing certain religions if those faiths exist in a form acceptable to the regime. "When you start narrowing the discussion, the signal the administration is sending to the international community is that as long as they prop up a few churches or houses of worship (of minority faiths), there isn't going to be a problem," The commission report slams U.S.-supported nations, such as Iraq and Pakistan, for failing to protect members of minority faiths who have been targeted with violence or discrimination.

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